A history of video game console failures

The history of console gaming is littered with high-profile flops, middling also-rans and vaporware never-weres. In fact, the stories of console failures are perhaps even more compelling than the tales of those companies that crossed the finish line. Thankfully, for every Nintendo Switch, there are countless Virtual Boys.

So what, precisely, constitutes a console failure? Is a product really a flop if it brought users hours of joy? It’s important to note that “failure” is a relative concept. Both the Nintendo Wii U and the Gizmondo made the list, but one sold 13 million units and the other 24,000 and involved the Swedish mafia.

So join us as we celebrate some of the most colorful and fascinating console failures of the last three decades.